Bottle-hooding apparatus



Jan. 12, 1960 SHINJIRO IZUMI 2,920,431 BOTTLE HOODING APPARATUS FiledJune 12. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i J 2/6)!!! W INVENTOR 7/m J/R0 [2 M Jan.12, 1960 SHINJIRO lZUMl BOTTLE-HOODING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Shet 2 FiledJune 12, 1957 INVENTOR S/fi/l J/AW fzw/y F/aa Jan. 12, 1960 SHINJIROIZUMI 2,920,431 BOTTLE-HOODING APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1957 3Sheets-Sheet 3 ,9 Q VENTOR F75. 5 .gm /WI 3 United States Patent OfficePatented Jan. 12, 1960 2,920,431 'BO'ITLE-HOODING APPARATUS ShinjiroIzumi, Urawa, Japan Application June 12, 1957, Serial No. 665,249 Claimspriority, application Japan December 26, 1956 8 Claims. (Cl. 53-141)This invention relates to a bottle-hooding apparatus, for example, for amilk plan-t.

An object of this invention is to provide a simply and automaticallyoperated hygienic bottle-hooding apparatus. 'n accordance with theconcept of the invention the apparatus comprises in combination meansfor transporting bottle to be hooded one after another, means forlifting each bottle on the transporting way up to a required position,means for receiving the top portion of the bottle in said position ontowhich portion a hooding sheet piece capable of becoming sticky byheating has been placed and sticking then said sheet piece onto said topportion of the bottle by blowing heating gas or steam against thehooding sheet piece around said top portion, and means for synchronizinglifting movement of the bottle with said blowing of the heating gas orsteam.

Another object of this invention is to provide for this bottle-hoodingapparatus an automatic feed arrangement for hooding sheet pieces whichcomprises vertically movable bottle carriage, vertically movable meanscooperating with said carriage for holding fast the free end of ahooding sheet hand between it and the top portion of a bottle andpulling out said band when said carriage ascends, and means for cuttingoff from said band a piece of a required length.

A further object of this invention is to provide also for thisbottle-hooding apparatus means for preventing said sheet band fromfalling down from its mediately after cutting of the sheet band.

The accompanying drawing shows one embodiment of the' bottle-hoodingapparatus according to this invention, wherein Fig. 1a is a verticalsectional view of the main parts of said embodiment, I

Fig. 1b is a vertical sectional view of the same, showing an operatingstate somewhat diflerent from that shown in Fig. la,

Fig. 2a is a vertical sectional View of a partof the same, in anenlarged size,

Fig. 2b is a vertical view of the same part as in Fig. 2a but in anoperating state dilferent from that shown in the latter, a

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional View of an automatic feedarrangement for hooding sheet-pieces,

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof some parts of the arrangement shown inFig. 4, i

Fig. 6a-6e show schematically five differentoperating states of theautomatic feed arrangement shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the automatic feedarrangement together with means for holding fast a hooding sheet bandonto a guide plate of said arrangement and Fig. Sis a sectional planview along line VIII--'VIII in Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. la and 1b, 8 denotes a m table of an approximatelyI-shaped longitudinal section and in guide part imthe peripheral edge ofthe upper. part of this tableseveral radial recesses 9 are cut awayequidistantly to receive fast bottles 1 to be hooded. Directly belowthese recesses vertically movable bottle carriages 18 of piston type areinserted into corresponding holes in the lower part of the turn tablewhich is to be driven by a suitable prime mover, such as an electricmotor. A main feed pipe 10 for a heating gas or steam is fixed to thecentral bore of the turn table and is rotated together. with the tablein the direction shown by arrows in the drawing. This turn table is amain part of means for transporting bottles.

An annular stationary cam 13 is arranged below the turn table 8concentrically to the latter, whereby the carriages 18 sliding on thecam 13 are moved vertically, resulting in vertical movement of bottlesplaced on the carriages. Fig. 1b shows the uppermost position of abottle placed on the carriage 18 which is sliding then on the highestface 14 of the cam 13. Thus, each bottle to be hooded is lifted up to arequired position on the way of transport.

In Figs. 2a and 2b, 3 denotes a cap body having a bore 4 opening belowto receive the top (mouth and neck) portion of a bottle 1. This cap body3 consists of two parts clamped together by bolts and nuts, as shown,and having an annular horizontal passage 5 formed therebetween whichcommunicates with the bore 4 along its total circumference by a slit of0.1-0.2 mm. width. Thus, the cap body 3 has an annular passage 5 formedin its circumferential wall and communicating along its totalcircumference with the bore 4. This passage 5 communicates also with asuitable source of heating gas or steam (not shown) through a supplypipe 6. The cap body 3 is dimensioned in such a manner that when the topportion of a bottle onto which a hooding sheet piece -2 has been placedsuitably is received in the bore 4, there is left 'a narrow annularspace 7 between the inside face of the bore 4 and the piece 2, as shownin Fig. 2b, through which heating gas under pressure supplied in thedirection of arrow A through the supply pipe 6 is blown from the annularpassage 5 against the hooding sheet piece 2 around the top portion ofthe bottle 1 as shown by arrow B and then can escape outwardly as shownby arrow C. It is necessary and important to determine size of thisannular space 7 suitably, because if this space 7 is enlarged too much,not only blowing pressure'of the heating gas is weakened but also usefulheat of the heating gas decreases, resulting ina remarkable heat loss.The hooding sheet piece 2 is of a nature capable of becoming sticky whenit is heated, and may be made of synthetic resins, such as polyethylene.A good result was obtained by an experiment in which in order to stick ahooding sheet piece of polyethylene to the bottle, temperatures of C.and 70 C. of heating gas under 3-4 atm. pressure are used in the annularpassage 5 and in the space 7, respectively.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the main supply pipe 10 is fixed to the turntable 8 and is provided with a supply port 11 communicating with anannular supply chamber 12 surrounding said pipe '10 air-tightly butpermitting said pipe 10 to rotate freely,

As shown in Figs. 1a and 1b, the supply pipe 6 is bent twice and a valve15 is inserted into the upright portion of said pipe 6. The free end ofthe valve rod of this valve passing through the upper part of the turntable is pivoted to one end of a lever 16 pivoted to a projection ofsaid upper part. Between this end of the lever 16 and said upper part aspring is intercalated to press the valve 15 against its seat normally.An arcuate cam 17 is arranged concentrically to the turn, table andbelow the same in an angular position corresponding to the highest face14 of the annular cam '13, so as to lift the free end of the lever 16sliding on said cam when the carriage 18 is sliding on the highest face14, whereby the valve 15 is opened to supply heating gas to the annularpassage 5, as shown in Fig. lb.

After a bottle 1 is fed into one of the recesses 9 in a position D shownin Fig. 3 by a suitable means, the bottle is transported one afteranother with rotation of the turn table 8. On the way of transport ahooding sheet piece 2 is placed on the top portion of the bottle 1 in aposition E also by a suitable means. The bottle 1 is then lifted up in aposition F by the highest face 14 of the cam 13 and its top portion isinserted into the bore 4 of the cap body 3, while at the same time thevalve 15 is opened by the lever 16 sliding on the cam 17, whereby theheating gas is blown against the hooding sheet piece 2. The bottle thushooded is removed from the recess in a position G.

A bottle onto whose top portion a hooding sheet piece has been placedautomatically, as hereinafter explained in detail, can be fed into oneof the recesses. In this case, in order to effect several hoodingoperations at the same time it is possible that from the main supplypipe 10, several radial supply pipes 6 connected with their respectivecap bodies are branched oil to communicate with respective annularpassages of the cap bodies.

As shown in Fig. 4, a vertically movable bottle carriage 18, whosevertical movement can be effected also by a suitable cam may be providedwith a vertical cutting edge 19. 2t denotes a holding plate for holdingthe free end of a hooding sheet band 2' between it and the top portionof the bottle 1 which band is wound onto a roller 27, in front of whicha pair of guide rollers 26, 26 are arranged. A guide plate 23 having arecess 22 cut away therefrom to receive the top portion of a bottle ispivoted to a suitable frame of the apparatus (not shown) by trunnions25, 25 for guiding the sheet band (see Fig. 5). 24 denotes a stopper tolimit the downward movement of the plate 23 and maintain the latter in ahorizontal position. 28 denotes a stationary cutting edge to cut ofi incooperation with the cutting edge 19 a hood ing sheet piece 2 from thesheet band 2 when the bottle 1 ascends suitably.

Before beginning the operation the sheet band 2' is drawn out enough tocover the recess 22 of the guide plate 23 as shown in Fig. 6a. When thebottle carriage 18 continues to ascend after the band 2' has been heldfast between the plate 20 and the mouth piece of the bottle 1, the plate23 will be made to swing upwardly by the cutting edge 19, as shown inFig. 6b, while the band 2 is left intact between the plate 20 and themouth piece of the bottle to permit a further ascent of the bottlethrough the recess 22 of the plate 23 till a position shown in Fig. 6c.The bottle continues further to ascend till a position shown in Fig. 6d,where a hooding sheet piece 2 large enough to cover the top portion ofthe bottle is cut oil by the cutting edges 19 and 28 from the sheet band2' which has been drawn out during the foregoing operation from theroller 27 by a length corresponding to that of the sheet piece 2. Thebottle 1 whose top portion is covered with the sheet piece 2 descendsthen as shown in Fig. 62 till the position shown in Fig. 6a, resultingin simultaneous descent of the plate 23. Descent of the plate 20,however, occurs somewhat later than that of the bottle 1 by means of asuitable arrangement therefor which will be explained hereinafter.Finally the bottle 1 with the sheet piece 2 is fed into one of therecesses 9 of the turn table 8 by a suitable transporting means, wherethe hooding operation of the bottle is performed, as explained already.

One example of the arrangements for retarding descent of the plate 28and for preventing the sheet band 2 (see Figs. 6d and 6e) from fallingdown from its guide plate immediately after cutting of a hooding sheetpiece is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. As shown, the holding plate 20 isconnected with the lower end of a rod 21, with whose upper end a piston38 slidable vertically in a cylinder 30 is connected too, which isprovided at its 'valves 33, 35

'4 uppermost and lowermost parts with inlet or suction and which isprovided approximately on its lower half with an enlarged portion 31forming a bypass 32 to connect two spaces in the cylinder above andbelow the piston 38 when said piston is positioned in the lower half ofthe cylinder 30, to whose lower end opens a discharge pipe 37 with athrottle valve 36.

When the holding plate 20 ascends by dint of the bottle 1, the suctionvalve 33 is closed, while the suction valve 35 is opened, permitting thepiston 38 to move upwardly in the cylinder 30, air contained in whosechamber above the piston 38 is discharged then through a discharge valve34 at the upper end of the cylinder into a discharge pipe 39 to which isconnected a pressure accumulator 40. On the contrary, when the carriage18 descends, the holding plate 20 will descend by its own weight andweights of the piston 38, rod 21, etc., whereby air in the cylinderchamber below the piston 38 will be discharged through the dischargepipe 37 with the throttle valve 36. By adjustment of the throttle valve36 discharge amount of air per unit time through the pipe 37 can beadjusted optionally, resulting in an optional adjustment, i.e.retardation of descending velocity of the plate 20 relative to that ofthe carriage 18. Because it is necessary, however, to make the plate 20descend rapidly after the guide plate 23 has swung down in itshorizontal position, a by-pass 32 is provided for making rapiddescending velocity of the plate 20 after the piston 38 descends belowthe upper end of the by-pass 32.

A pipe 39' is led from the pressure accumulator 40 made of an expansiblesubstance such as gum and is connected with a pipe 39 arrangedperpendicularly thereto. A nozzle-shaped outlet pipe 29 forming the freeend of the pipe 39 is positioned to jet air flow toward the sheet band 2on the guide plate 23 inclined upwardly. The interconnecting part of thepipes 39 and 39" forms a valve chest of a valve 49 whose valve rod ispivoted to a lever 44 also pivoted to a suitable frame (not shown) ofthe apparatus by a pin 43. The rod 21 between the plate 20 and thepiston 38 is provided with two actuating pieces 41 and 43 which areadapted to cooperate with one end 50 of the lever 44 interposedtherebetween, in such a manner that the lever 44 swings about its pin 43with the vertical movement of the rod 21, resulting in opening andclosing of the valve 49. The other end of the lever 44 is provided withtwo semicircular recesses 45 and 46, into either of which a steel ball47 loaded by a spring 48 is pressed to hold the lever 44 surely ineither of its two extreme positions.

When the bottle 1 and, consequently, the piston 38 ascend, the suctionvalve 33 is closed while the discharge valve 34 is opened, through whichair in the cylinder chamber above the piston 38 is discharged into theaccumulator 48. In this case, the lower actuating piece 42 on the rod 21ascends too and pushes upwardly the end of the lever 44 in the instantwhen the sheet band 2" and the guide plate 23 carrying it occupy theirpositions shown in Fig. 6d, so that the valve 49 is opened to permitcompressed air accumulated in the accumulator 44 to flow out through theoutlet 29, whereby the sheet band 2" is pressed against the guide plate23 and is prevented from sliding down from the guide plate 23. In caseof descent of the bottle 1, the upper actuating piece 41 of the rod 21moves downwardly to push down the end 50 of the lever 44, whereby thevalve 49 is closed to stop jet flow of air from the outlet 29.

The apparatusaccording to this invention can operate automatically andefliciently, because it can be provided with an automatic cutting anddrawing-out arrangement for a hooding sheet band, as explainedhereinfore. This apparatus can be used hygienically and economically,especially in a milk plant, where steam which can be used as heatingmedium for sticking the hooding sheet piece to thebottle is used always.

P m e goi g it will be seen that many mcations of the specific disclosedform of the invention may be resorted to, and it is to be understoodthat the scope of the invention is to be ascertained solely by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottle-hooding apparatus comprising in combination means fortransporting bottles to be hooded one after another, means for liftingeach bottle on the transporting way up to a raised position, means forplacing a hooding sheet piece on said top portion, cap means forreceiving the top portion of the bottle in said raised position todefine together with said top portion an annular space about said topportion, means for supplying heated fluid under pressure to said annularspace to press said sheet piece onto said top portion of the bottle, andmeans for synchronizing lifting movement of the bottle with said lastrecited means, said cap means including a cap body adapted to receivetherein the top portion of a bottle to be hooded, said cap bodyincluding a circumferential wall having an annular horizontal passagefor heated fluid, said cap body having a bore, said passage opening intosaid bore along its total length.

2. An automatic feed arrangement for hooding sheet pieces, comprising avertically movable bottle carriage, vertically movable means cooperatingwith said carriage for hoding fast the free end of a hooding sheet bandbetween said movable means and the top portion of a bottle and pullingout said band when said carriage ascends, cutting means for cutting oilfrom said band a piece of a required length, said cutting meansincluding a movable cutting edge secured to said bottle carriage and astationary cutting edge cooperating with said movable cutting edge whenthe latter occupies its uppermost position, and a pivotally mountedguide plate for said band, said hooding sheet band being pulled out byswinging up of said guide plate.

3. An automatic feed arrangement for hooding sheet pieces, comprising avertically movable bottle carriage, vertically movable means cooperatingwith said carriage for holding fast the free end of a hooding sheet bandbetween said movable means and the top portion of a bottle and pullingout said band when said carriage ascends, cutting means for cutting ofifrom said band a piece of a required length, said cutting meansincluding a movable cutting edge secured to said bottle carriage and astationary cutting edge cooperating with said movable cutting edge whenthe latter occupies its uppermost position, and holding means forpreventing said sheet band from falling down from said guide plateimmediately after cutting of the sheet band.

4. An automatic feed arrangement according to claim 3, wherein saidholding means includes a cylinder, a rod provided at its lower end witha holding plate and at its upper end with a piston sliding in saidcylinder, said cylinder being provided at its upper and lower ends withrespective one discharge passage and one suction port and being furtherprovided with a bypass arranged in its lower half to make the cylinderchambers above and below the piston communicate with each other.

5. An automatic feed arrangement according to claim 4, wherein athrottle valve is inserted into said discharge passage in said lowerend.

6. An automatic feed arrangement according to claim 4, wherein apressure accumulator and a closing valve are inserted into saiddischarge passage in said upper end.

7. An automatic feed arrangement according to claim 6, wherein saidclosing valve is controlled dependently upon movement of said rod ofmeans for holding.

8. An automatic feed arrangement according to claim 3, wherein saidholding means includes a cylinder, a rod provided at its lower end witha holding plate and at its upper end with a piston sliding in saidcylinder, said cylinder being provided at its upper and lower ends withrespective one discharge passage and one suction port and being furtherprovided with a bypass arranged in its lower half to make the cylinderchambers above and below the piston communicate with each other, saidhooding sheet band being pressed against said guide plate by fluid underpressure discharged from said cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS985,803 Hogkinson Mar. 7, 1911 1,011,630 Lassen Dec. 12, 1911 1,266,913Braecklein May 21, 1918 2,003,682 Enoek June 4, 1935 2,042,304 Glunz May26, 1936 2,286,079 Ganglofl June 9, 1942

